


Always Watching

by CatherineSB



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Abby is a lawyer, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Carol is a lawyer, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Mystery, Pain, Slow Burn, Smut, Stalking, Suspense, Therese is a photographer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-08-09 10:37:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16448303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatherineSB/pseuds/CatherineSB
Summary: I honestly suck at summaries but here it goes: Therese Belivet finds out some things that make her life and her loved ones lives incredibly difficult and maybe even in danger. However, everything changes when, for an act of fate, she ends up crossing paths with a beautiful blonde that will change her life forever.





	1. The Finding

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello, okay so this is my first fanfic ever and english is definitely not my first language so bare with me please and be kind. This is really new for me and I still don't know if I should keep writing it. It will all depend on what you guys think. I hope you like it!

Therese and Richard were just getting home from having dinner and Richard urgently needed a change of pants since he had spilled his drink on himself during dinner, forcing them to cut dinner short. Richard ran into the bathroom to wash up and avoid a stain.

 

“Therese, could you grab me some pants? They're in the dresser,” Richard yelled from the bathroom.

 

“Sure” Therese answered as she headed to his room. His apartment was slightly unfamiliar to Therese since most of the time they spent together was at Therese’s place or somewhere else. Richard’s place always made Therese feel slightly uneasy because it was always weirdly organized and clean.

 

Therese was glad dinner ended early because being in Richard’s presence had started to annoy her. He was being too insisting and couldn't stop talking about himself. Just annoying.

 

She rifled through the drawers, working her way down from the top. In the third drawer, she found a strange wooden box with a white “T” on top.

 

When she looked inside, her jaw dropped.

 

After some initial confusion, Therese realized what she was looking at and panicked.

 

“Richard?…Richard! Come here,” Therese shouted.

 

“What is- Oh shit” Richard stared at Therese. He didn't say anything, but appeared shocked.

 

“What the fuck are these?” She was shaking uncontrollably. Inside the box were photos of Therese, from afar. Shots of her running, walking on the street, getting in or out of cabs, heading to work, and even images of Therese sleeping in her own apartment.

 

“Terry,” Richard said her name softly and stepped towards Therese and she immediately stepped back.

 

“Do not come any closer!” She was still flipping through the pictures.

“Richard, what the fuck!?”

 

Therese was even more worried because these photos were stamped with dates in 2016, but she hadn’t met Richard until sometime in 2017.

 

“What the hell, Richard?! Why the fuck do you have this pictures of me from 2016!?!”

 

Therese wasn't hurt, this finally made her come to the realization that she didn't actually love Richard, she was scared because this was terrifying. Therese started feeling dizzy, her heart was beating fast and she was out of breath. She anticipated an anxiety attack.

 

“Terry please don't do this, I love you!” Therese hurried towards the door, but Richard grabbed her by the arm.

 

“Let me go!” Therese screamed and managed to escape from Richard’s grip. She was shaking uncontrollably.

 

“Therese!!!! Don’t you fucking dare!!!!!”

 

Richard’s voice boomed throughout the apartment.

Everything went silent all she could hear was his scream echoing in her mind, she heard it over and over, echoing. Startled by his guttural scream, Therese slowly turned around as if she was gonna turn around to look at a monster and when she finally looked at him she didn’t recognize him, indeed he looked like a monster. His eyes were widened, his face was red, and his fists were clenched tightly. Richard was looking at Therese in a way that made her blood run cold and caused a chill to go down her spine. It was a feeling of pure panic. Her heart was beating even faster now. She stopped breathing, stood there in abeyance and felt as if the world went silent.

 

Richard was fuming, his chest was rising up and down fast and Therese felt terrified, as she were standing in front of a bull that was preparing to come at her, or a car about to crush her.

 

Still shaking, she wanted to cry and her legs felt boneless. Her breathing was shallow and felt choked up, she could barely get air to her lungs.

 

Therese focused for a moment, adrenaline finally kicked in, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She finally opened them, managed to get a grip on herself and ran out the door as fast as she could. She couldn't risk taking the elevator so she ran straight for the emergency exit stairs.

 

“Therese!”Richard’s angry shouts only made Therese go down the stairs faster his screams echoed and her mind and though the floors. She could hear Richard begin pursuit on the floor above, the sound of his steps only frightened her more. She finally reached the door for the lobby, and continued on until she was out of the building onto the street.

 

As Therese reached the corner, she looked behind her, only to see Richard still coming right for her. Therese turned back and ran as fast as she possibly could.

 

Richard was still screaming, she felt a knot in her stomach and she was panting so much she could barely breathe, but the sheer panic kept her moving.

 

Finally, she saw an opportunity to lose him when she ran into a busy department store. Therese hustled to a bathroom and hid in one of the stalls. She was able to sit, close her eyes, and catch her breath. It had been a long time since her last anxiety attack. She hadn’t felt this way since her first day at the home.

 

After what felt like an eternity, she cleaned her face and went out of the stall. Thankfully, there was no one else in the bathroom. Therese splashed some water on her face to cool off and stared the door for a long time. She was scared that Richard might find her at any moment. Richard didn’t show up, but Therese left her phone behind and couldn’t call Dannie. She realized she’d have to walk to Dannie’s place.

 

On the way there, Therese couldn’t stop shaking and looking all around just in case Richard might still be after her. The paranoia was really setting in.

 

_Did he really stalk me? Does this mean he was my stalker? Was I dating my stalker? Is he obsessed with me? Oh my god Jesus Christ._

 

Therese’s mind was full of questions and she had trouble focusing on any one thing. She picked up her pace on her the way to Dannie’s.

 

When Therese arrived, she frantically pressed the doorbell, not wanting to be outside on her own for any longer than she had to.

 

Dannie finally buzzed her in.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You will get to learn more about the way Dannie and Therese's relationship works! I hope you like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it guys!

Therese went into the building and closed the door as fast as she could.

 

Now inside, she leaned against the door, took several deep breaths is an attempt to control her anxiety and tears started to cloud her vision when she heard Dannie running downstairs screaming her name.

 

“Therese!” Dannie skipped steps in order to get to her faster. “Are you okay?! Why were you buzzing like that?!”

 

Therese was shaking so much, her legs gave in and Dannie finally got a good look at Therese, who was now crying on the floor in a corner. He ran towards her and cradled her in his arms.

 

“Oh my god Therese, what happened?” Dannie said as he kissed Therese’s forehead.

 

“You’re safe.” Dannie rubbed her back in an effort to calm her nerves. “You’re shaking so much,” she leaned her head on Dannie’s chest and Therese began sobbing. She couldn’t contain herself anymore.

 

After a while, she finally managed to slow down her breathing and began to take longer deeper breaths, a few tears were still dropping but she wasn’t sobbing anymore.

 

“Can you please tell me what happened?” Dannie’s voice was soft and filled with concern. Dannie and Therese were like siblings after all they did grow up together, so they loved each other and were very protective over one another. The brotherly love that had formed between them over the years since they met when they were five years old at the home, had only grown over the years.

 

Finally feeling at ease and with a newfound feeling of safety, she looked up at him, wiped the tears out of her face and her nose with her sleeve.

 

“Richard… He... I- I- I found a box in Richard’s apartment and it had pictures of me on the street, sleeping in my own bed, and running errands. But the worst part is that they were from 2016 - before I ever met Richard. He must’ve broken into my apartment and took pictures of me sleeping, Dannie,” by the time Therese finished her sentence her voice was barely audible.

 

Therese’s voice weakened and her eyes welled up again, but she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and clutched her fists tightly in order to keep her composure.

 

She continued, “I started panicking - and wanted to run away - I tried to run away, but he got aggressive and kept screaming at me not to run. I was able to get out of the building but he chased me down the street until I managed to lose him in a store”. Dannie could feel the way Therese's body would shake harder for a secondevery time a new trembling wave would hit her.

 

Dannie looked shocked and concerned.

 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” is all Dannie could muster. Therese looked at him, expecting him to say something else. Therese suddenly felt Dannie's body stiffen and his hands tightening the grip on the side of her shoulder.

 

“Does this mean he was stalking you!?” His voice raised to a scream by the time he finished the question. He looked at Therese expectantly.

 

“I guess so.” As Therese answered, Dannie stood up, grabbed her wrist and rushed them upstairs to his apartment.

 

“Stay here,” Dannie said between gritted teeth. He left her in the apartment and slammed the door behind him. Therese felt confused and a bit startled so she locked the door and waited for him to come back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

After an hour, Dannie came back. He was quiet and his face held no expression.

 

“What happened, Dannie?” Therese was worried about the look on Dannie’s face. It was as if he had just seen a ghost.

 

“What is it?”

 

“He’s gone,” Dannie said somberly.

 

Therese was astonished. “Gone? What do you mean gone? Do you mean he’s dead!?”

 

“No! No! I mean all of his stuff is gone.”

 

Therese heard Dannie, but she couldn’t comprehend what he meant and had to follow up. “What do you mean all his stuff is gone?”

 

“I went to his apartment looking for the fucking bastard and everything was gone. The door was wide open and the apartment was empty. It was like he never lived there.”

 

Therese didn’t know what this could mean, maybe he was really gone and that was it. Just like that, he was out of her life.

 

“What? Just like that? He vanished?” Therese wasn’t sure what to think. She obviously hoped Richard was gone, but not knowing what happened unnerved her.

After thinking though some options, Therese looked over to Dannie with a confused look on her face. “What do you think happened?”

 

“He ran away. He got scared or something and ran away. That fucking sick coward.”

 

“I don’t know Dannie, he went after me when I left. Why give up all of a sudden?” Therese began feeling uneasy once again.

Why go after me and then just run away? She thought to herself.

 

“It doesn’t matter anymore, he’s gone and that’s what matters.”Dannie's tone was a little reassuring for her.

Therese took a moment to process.

 

“Okay.” Dannie’s assertion calmed Therese a bit.

 

“For the time being I want you to stay here. I’m not talking you back to your apartment, you can’t be on your own in there.”

 

“Okay, thank you Dannie.”

 

“I’ll drive you, so you can get your stuff and then we come back here, okay?”

 

“Yes, that’s fine, thank you Dannie - really.” Dannie hugged Therese.

 

“You’re like my little sister, dude.”

 

“Hey, who said I’m the little sister?” Dannie raised an eyebrow.

 

“Oh c’mon, you have me by one month. That hardly counts,” Therese said nudging Dannie on the arm as he chuckled. After Dannie and Therese found out their birthdays where really close to one another, they decided to have joint birthday parties at the home, so every year on Therese's birthday Sister Alicia would always have two cupcakes garnished with a candle one for Dannie and one for Therese and every year the other boys and girls at the school would always gather and sing happy birthday to both of them.

 

“Still, you’re younger so that makes me the older brother.” Dannie stuck his tongue out to mock her. Therese huffed and shook her head.

 

Later on, the two of them went to get Therese’s stuff. Therese was on edge about going back to her apartment because it was clear that Richard had previously broken in. Knowing this made Therese feel as though she could no longer feel at home in her own apartment, it felt foreign and really strange how that sense of safety was gone. The two collected some of Therese’s stuff and made sure not to stay any longer than they had to.

 

That night, Dannie was kind enough to take the couch so Therese could be comfortable in Dannie’s bed. Unfortunately, Therese struggled with falling sleep. She kept having the feeling that Richard maybe coming back and breaking in. She felt like she was being watched.

 

Therese couldn’t sleep that night. She spent all night tossing and turning, hoping to get some sleep, but she wasn’t able to relax enough. She ended up lying on her back, staring at the ceiling while she wondered about how many times had Richard broken in - and how he might’ve done it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments please it really means a lot!


	3. On Their Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some background.

The orange sky peaking through the window let Therese know it was time to get up. She slowly walked out on the balcony to catch the sunrise and took a deep breath, the fresh air in her lungs relaxed her, she could hear the hustle coming from the street below her, the sound of car horns and their tires on the pavement were strangely comforting, the combination of all those things made her feel the most relaxed since what had happened with Richard. “Richard,” she said his name out loud and it made her shiver, remembering him made her feel again that utter panic she felt the moment she turned around. She looked around to the buildings and onto the street below her and thankfully, saw no signs of him so Therese went back inside, brew some coffee and began making breakfast. She decided on banana pancakes.

 

“Hey,” Dannie said from the couch as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

  
“Hi Dannie, right on time.” Therese heard him sniffing the air. “I’m making banana pancakes.”

  
“Agh, dude you’re the best.”

 

Therese chuckled a little, “well it’s the least I can do given the circumstances,” she continued making breakfast. While making breakfast she thought about how she had meet Richard in the first place. The first time she saw him was at a coffee shop she used to stop by everyday before heading for work, he kindly smiled at her from afar and that was one, of the several other times that came after that, until she finally spoke to him at one of Dannie’s parties; turns out Richard and Dannie already knew each other and were friends, Dannie introduced them and they got along pretty well and Therese was at a pretty low point in her life mentally because it had been a long time since she last had a partner so she settled for Richard. Therese made a mental note to ask Dannie how did he and Richard met.

 

She never loved Richard, she tried but she never really did and she knew he appreciated her but still she doubted the love he said he had for her. Richard was always incredibly attentive to Therese but he never really knew her, he could never really tell how she was feeling and he would always talk about himself and Therese would sometimes go on autopilot and nod her head in order to pretend she was listening but she never really was. Therese chastised herself for letting it get to this, instead of ending it earlier.

After she finally finished cooking, she set two towers of pancakes on each side of the table. “Do you want coffee or chocolate milk?”

Dannie stood up and stretched. “Chocolate milk sounds good.”

Therese went back into the kitchen to make two cups of chocolate milk. As she brought them back to the table, Dannie was in the middle of taking a huge first bite. His intensity made Therese giggle.

“Take it easy, Pac-man.”

“Do these have cinnamon?”

“Yeah, a little. Why?”

“They’re really really goo-“ Dannie didn’t even finish his sentence as he stuffed another huge bite in his mouth making Therese laugh again.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while until she finally asked the question that was nagging her.

“How did you and Richard meet?” Dannie looked a little surprised after he heard the question and after a moment he answered.

“I met him at a bar, I was hanging out with the guys and he approached us and he seemed like a pretty cool guy so we let him in.”

“He approached you?”Therese thought that maybe all of this was planned; the casual bumping into each other at the coffee shop, he casually approaching Dannie, it was all just to coincidental and giving the recent discoveries Therese had just made she was sure everything was carefully planned out by Richard.

“Yeah”

“I think he planned everything”

“What do you mean?” Dannie’s face was filled with confusion, this somehow making Therese a little annoyed, since after she tied everything together, it just seemed really obvious and she couldn't believe that she hadn't even noticed.

“This whole thing, think about it Dannie,” she said with annoyance clearly present in her voice, but she wasn't annoyed at Dannie, she was annoyed at herself for not having noticed before, so she went back to her normal tone, “the casual bumping onto each other at the coffeeshop, him casually approaching you and making his way into your life. No, into our lives, he slowly and carefully made his way through to our lives” Dannie was quiet for a moment, eyebrows furrowed as he was taking in the information and processing it. Finally, his eyebrows went back to normal and his face was now holding a look of recognition.

“No, he made his way through my life to get to you, Therese. He doesn't care about me, he cares about you.”

Therese hadn't thought about that so she was incredibly surprised and couldn't really think of an answer so she said nothing and just gave Dannie a slow nod in response. She knew what Dannie had said was true, but the only thing she could do for now was hope that he doesn’t come back.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while until Therese felt the need to speak up.

“Hey, I think you should take the bed because I don't think I’m gonna manage to get any sleep.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Therese shrugged her shoulders. “I didn't get any sleep last night, I just don’t know that I’ll be relaxed enough.” Therese knew that she was probably not going to sleep through that night either so she wanted to give Dannie his bed back.

“Therese…” Dannie tilted his head to one side and gave her a disapproving look.

“It’s okay, I feel well enough. Please don’t worry just let me take the couch. You're too big for it anyway!”

“Are you sure?”

  
“Absolutely, don't worry about it”

Dannie nodded and took another huge bite.

They finished breakfast and Dannie left for work. Therese cleaned up and started getting ready for her day. She worked as a freelance photographer and writer of a magazine’s blog. Her stories were mainly focused on the pictures she took. Therese had a wide variety of photos - everything from portraits to landscape shots. Her work was often acquired by National Geographic, which would sometimes ask her to tag along on expeditions.

Today, Therese was going to the National Geographic headquarters to edit some recent photos and to write their background stories. Often, Nat Geo would only request the edited photos, but the important articles required a deeper dive.

Nat Geo routinely offered Therese a permanent job, but she wasn’t interested in months-long expeditions where she would be eaten alive by mosquitos. Therese loved visiting exotic venues, as long as the bugs weren’t unbearable.

As she was about to leave Dannie’s apartment, Therese began feeling frightened. She figured it may be an overreaction, because it was very unlikely Richard would hurt her, but she couldn’t be sure. This dark side of Richard was something she hadn’t expected. Richard had no reason to hurt Therese but she felt confident that the man she knew was not who Richard truly was.

Therese willed herself enough and went outside the building to hail a cab. She didn't usually ride in cabs because she was lucky enough to afford her own car; a white Jetta Sport 2018. Unfortunately however, her beautiful sedan was parked across town near her apartment. Her work for Nat Geo had earned Therese some awards and a very healthy income, but she preferred to live a more humble lifestyle, like she always had at the home. Therese worked as a photographer, not for the money to the luxuries but because she loved it, she loved being a photographer. She loved being able to play with the light and being able to capture someone’s essence in a single picture, taking candids of people where always her best work and the one she loved doing the most.

The whole way to work, Therese couldn’t help but feel that Richard was around every corner, waiting for her so she stayed on the lookout. She felt a little silly for acting like that, and it bothered her to always feel like she had to be on the look out but she just couldn't help it, somewhere deep inside her she still couldn't believe that the man she saw when she tuned around was the same man who she once cared for and called her boyfriend. When she arrived, the building was moving like a well-oiled machine. Therese couldn't help but be a little distracted while working; her thoughts kept going back to Richard but she did her best to mesh with everyone else’s rhythm.

Most of her day was spent on two upcoming articles, which she was heavily involved in. With the constant work in front of her, Therese was able to let Richard drift from her mind.

After work, she took a cab and told the driver to take her back to her own apartment so she could pick up some more clothes and her car.

As she got to her door, she felt worried again because of all the memories she created with Richard. The two of them had spent so much in her apartment that it felt like if she opened the door he might be in there. Therese finally opened the door and walked in. Nothing but silence filled the room, which put Therese at ease but the apartment wasn't the same; it felt foreign now since she bought it a month after her and Richard started dating so that made it really be connected to him and his memory. After standing in the middle of it and taking it all in she went to her room, got a suitcase and filled it with her things.

Therese then took her car keys and left. 

 _How could Richard so something like that? I’m probably being silly he wouldn't hurt, me would he? I shouldn't be this paranoid. I mean he was in love with me but… he was also obsessed with me for a fucking year - he had pictures of me sleeping for christ sake._  

Therese’s toughs began making her anxious and she started shaking again so she stopped herself from going down that road again and instead she started playing some music while she drove back to Dannie’s apartment. Her head began boping to the beat of the music and she was finally happy again, listening to music while driving in her car was one of her favorite things to do, it always relaxed her a lot.

She finally got back to Dannie’s apartment.

“Hey” Dannie said greeting Therese.

“Hi” Therese felt instant relief after hearing Dannie greet her.

“There’s some chinese take out in the kitchen”

“Oh my God! Thank you!” She hurried towards the kitchen “I’m so hungry, you have no idea”

“Why? Didn't you eat something at work?”

“Nope, I didn’t have time- we didn't even finish the article, I have to go back tomorrow”

“Damn”

“I know” She said with her mouth full of food.

After she was finished, she cleaned up a bit and yawned.

“You have to rest” Dannie said in a disapproving tone.

“I know, its just- with everything that happened yesterday I couldn't sleep”

“It’s okay Therese you’re safe here” 

“I know, thank you Dannie” Therese gave Dannie a warm hug and he kissed her temple.

“By the way, you have to get ready because we’re having dinner tonight with some of Gen’s friends and its a pretty long drive so you gotta be ready by 5:30” Therese looked at the clock it was 3:55 pm

“Who’s place?”

“Gen’s girlfriend, Abby she invited us over for dinner. We’ll meet some of her friends over there”

“Okay”

“Wear a dress or something nice. Abby’s house is really fancy shit”

“Oh okay dude” Therese said in a harsh tone and raised her eyebrows and her hands in defense. It took her by surprise that Dannie the macho man was telling her what to wear.

Dannie responded with an annoyed look and Therese chuckled.

Therese instead of resting got herself in the shower so she’d be ready in time.

She chose what she thought was a pretty chic [outfit](https://pictures.cate-blanchett.com/displayimage.php?album=2025&pid=221583#top_display_media)\- not very fancy but definitely chic and more make up than usual. Thanks to her lack of sleep she was looking sort of pale and ill.

“Damn” Dannie gave her the once-over “You have to start wear skirts more often dude”

“Oh shut up, Dannie” She slapped his shoulder “c’mon let’s go” 

They walked out of Dannie’s apartment.

“How far is it?” Therese asked as they were getting into his car.

“It’s a two hour drive”

“Two hours?”

“Yeah” Therese sighted “I told you it was a long drive”

“Right”

Dannie started driving and they went on their way. Therese began playing Just like heaven by The Cure to be able to keep herself from falling asleep during the drive. As soon as Dannie heard it, he smiled at Therese and both of them started dancing and singing like no one was watching. The song was incredibly special for both of them; it was played on their graduation day where the both of them danced like crazy maniacs; something Therese usually never did but that day was special it was one the best days of her life, she loved that night; getting to share all those special moments with her best friend… brother, Therese corrected herself, her and Dannie had a special bond; they’ve been through losing loved ones, friends, failures, disappointments and for a long time the only thing they had was each other, all of this created a bond that could never and would never be broken.

After a while the upbeat songs she played were not enough to keep her awake and she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it guys! Some beautiful blonde is coming ;) Let me know what you think :)
> 
> The songs I've been taking them out from a playlist I found that was made for Therese that a friend of mine shared with me. Here are the links: 
> 
> For Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1296615589/playlist/4gOxVh1bupurecJkqcyItR?si=n3dCdKC2Thq9Mp3M5fE5Uw
> 
> For Apple Music: https://open.spotify.com/user/1296615589/playlist/4gOxVh1bupurecJkqcyItR?si=n3dCdKC2Thq9Mp3M5fE5Uw


	4. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out for the underlined words! If you find one click on it :)

“Therese” Dannie shook Therese’s shoulder softly to wake her up.

 

“Therese” Therese began regaining consciousness little by little.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“We’re here, c’mon”

 

“We’re where? What do you mean?” Dannie chucked noticing how confused and out of place she actually was.

 

“The dinner at Abby’s dude, c’mon- I’ve been trying to wake you up for like 5 minutes now”

 

“Oh shit. Right the dinner.” Therese sat up straight and rubbed her eyes.

 

“C’mon”

 

“Okay okay I’m going, I’m going.” Therese started to get out of the car but stumbled and almost fell because she lost her balance thankfully, Dannie caught her.

 

“Be careful dude, you’re all shaky. Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, its just the lack of sleep” She stood up straight and slowly stretched her arms going up high and yawned but Dannie poked her armpit and she instinctively pulled her arms down.

 

“Hey!!!”

 

“That should wake you up” Dannie said with a smirk and Therese just narrowed her eyes at him.

 

Therese steadied herself by holding on to Dannie’s arm while they walked towards the house. She began studying her surroundings; There were tall light posts illuminating the surroundings, trees everywhere surrounding the place were all the cars where parked, and the house. The house turns out it was huge, like a mansion.

 

“Jesus Christ” Therese said out loud.

 

“I know, holy fuck” They had to climb some stairs to get to the entrance where there was a huge blurred glass door; it was unusual but incredibly elegant “I told you it was a nice, fancy dinner” Dannie said as he rang the doorbell.

 

“Right”

 

After some beats Gen opened the door with an auburn woman by her side who she assumed was Abby.

 

“Hey guys” Gen said. “come on in, this is Abby. Abby this is Therese and that’s Dannie”

 

“Hi” both of them answered at the same time making them and Gen chuckle.

 

“Come in please” Abby said with a sincere and warm smile on her face.

 

They walked side by side behind Abby and Gen as they lead them through the house. Therese was in awe. The reception had this beautiful huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and there was a marbled table in the middle with a huge flower arrangement on top. The mansion was beautiful, it was elegant but modern and cosy all at the same time. There was artwork hanged all over the walls and the hallways.

 

Therese hadn't even noticed that Abby and Gen were speaking to them as they were leading them through the house, until she felt a hand on her shoulder that snapped her out of her reverie.

 

“Therese”

 

“What? Oh, sorry Dannie, sorry you guys” she apologized.

 

Therese began scanning the room. It was a very fancy and cosy living room, with a beautiful fireplace in front of some couches and a coffee table. Behind the couches there was a huge dinning room table that could easily fit about 20 or so people, the place was beautiful. There were more glass chandeliers hanging form the ceiling, the more Therese looked around the more she loved the house, she looked back over to the fireplace and saw a blonde woman standing in front of the fireplace, she was wearing a beautiful, golden [suit](https://pictures.cate-blanchett.com/displayimage.php?album=3184&pid=287814#top_display_media) that perfectly hugged the curves of her legs, her blonde hair fell right to were her shoulders where, it looked beautiful and natural the woman really called Therese’s attention and she didn't really know why. The woman was turned around, with her back facing Therese, she had never seen her face and yet for some reason she felt incredibly drawn towards her, she was like a magnet for Therese.

 

“So, over there you can go to the bar in case you want any drinks” Abby said as she pointed towards the bar, “and over there are the appetizers” she said as she pointed to a huge beautifully decorated table “feel free to look around. Those doors lead to the garden,” she said pointing at two tall half open glass doors beautiful encased in wood, with long curtains that started at the ceiling and went all the way to the floor “just in case you feel like having a breath of fresh air and dinner will be ready in no time.”

 

“Thank you” Dannie gave Abby a polite smile which Abby returned. Then Gen whispered something in her ear and Abby walked away. After she was gone Gen turned to them and punched Therese on the shoulder, hard.

 

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

 

“Where the hell are you dude?”

 

“What you mean? I’m right here, you idiot”

 

“Yeah Therese, where are you?” Dannie moved so he was now standing beside Genevieve and in front of Therese. Both of them now looking accusingly at Therese. She knew what they meant but she was definitely not going to say anything about where her mind was.

 

“Stop looking at me like that you guys!”

 

“This whole time it feels like you’ve been a mile away dude, while Abby was taking you weren’t putting attention” 

 

“Yeah Therese. What’s got you so distracted? Gen said as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Therese’s eyes darted for a second, back to the blonde who was now walking out of the room behind Dannie and Gen on to the hallway and Gen caught her looking she turned and looked in the same direction Therese’s eyes had darted to a second ago.

 

“Hummm,” Gen turned to look back at a blushing Therese “so Carol Aird huh?”Gen have Therese a smirk and a very suggestive look that just made her blush even more. Therese swallowed.

 

“Shut up, I don’t even know her!” Therese said as she nudged Gen on the shoulder “I’m gonna go touch up a little guys, leave me alone” Therese walked away and heard them sniggering in the back while she walked away.

 

She went out on the hallway and looked around confused, noticing she didn't ask where the bathroom was, but this was gonna give her an opportunity to explore the house a bit more so she went on and opened several doors but she couldn't find the one for the bathroom. She huffed in annoyance.

 

“Can’t find the bathroom?” She heard a deep husky voice behind her

 

“Oh jesus!” Therese jumped started by the deep voice she suddenly heard behind her. She put a hand on chest.

 

The woman behind her let out an enchanting throaty laugh, “sorry I didn't mean to startle you,” Therese finally turned around and realized that the deep velvety voice belonged to the woman in the golden suit, her breath hitched and she felt incredibly flushed, thanks to the look of this woman.

 

Therese felt as if all the air was sucked out of the room and sound faded in the background, the woman was a complete stunner; her eyes were a beautiful bluish grey that one could easily get lost in, she had smile marks on the corners of her eyes that suited her perfectly, high, perfect cheekbones and hooded eyelids only enhancing her gaze, the combination of those making her look feline. The woman slowly approached her, with a smirk, the distance that parted them now made Therese’s heart beat faster.

 

“Hello?” The blonde’s features suddenly went from amusement to worry.

 

“Hey?” the blonde started to wave her hand in front of Therese’s face but she was speechless looking at the woman in front of her, she tried to talk but all that came out were drowned throaty noises.

 

“Are you okay?” The blonde put her hand on Therese’s shoulder. Therese looked at the blonde’s hand on her shoulder and felt a sudden squeeze, this finally made her snap out of her reverie. She cleared her throat.

 

“What? Umm, yes I’m sorry” Therese was finally able to speak but her voice came out weak and shaky. Therese noticed a slight change in the blonde’s expression from confused to amused, a smile peaking in through her lips and the corners of her eyes.

 

“Are you sure?” The blonde replied as she rubbed her hand slowly up and down the length of Therese’s upper arm making her shiver and even more flushed, this clearly made the blonde even more amused since she was now giving Therese a full on smirk. The blonde’s eyes were looking straight into her but at the same time they were saying something it was like they were communicating without words, which made Therese even more nervous.

 

“Yes, yes I- I’m fine. Thank you,” Therese stammered horribly.

 

The blonde laughed, as she finally stopped rubbing her hand up and down Therese’s arm and dropped it to her side. Therese had confused feelings about it since it was the most beautiful sound that could come out of someone and the blonde looked beautiful beaming but she was also slightly annoyed at how her own embarrassment made the blonde so amused. The blonde was teasing her.

 

“Okay” The blonde lowered her chin, this somehow making her gaze way more intense and gave Therese another smirk. After a beat, the blonde started waking towards Therese until she was beside her; shoulders touching each other then in an even lower voice she brought her face closer to where Therese’s neck and ear are and the blonde whispered, “the bathroom is third door on the left,” Therese felt the blonde’s breath on her ear and neck and she felt that all over her body. She closed her eyes, felt a chill run down her spine and a sudden sensation of heat in her center. Then the blonde kept walking back to the living room.

 

Therese stood there going trough everything that had just happened, repeating every word that was spoken by the blonde, the sensation of her touch lingered after, she could still feel it even after it wasn't there anymore. Therese instantly felt a sense of longing; she missed being in the presence of the blonde. After some time, she was finally able to move and stop standing in the middle of the hall in abeyance so she finally walked towards the third door on the left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? :)


	5. La Vie en Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm so sorry about the delay!! Life got in the way, but I'm here now :) 
> 
> I really love music so I couldn't resist, if you can while reading try to listen to these so they enhance your experience: 
> 
> Bad Bad News - Leon Bridges:  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/7FxzgizJRGTQ3fxUqfvljg?si=Nk7maZYBS867aLb7AKutVQ
> 
> Too Marvelous for Words - Frank Sinatra  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/3tJ9zgZTw5eav9khGmor3Q?si=TLeHgstZRR2O4KapOGQ_Xg
> 
> La Vie en Rose - Louis Armstrong  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/1UH4viviUjZnS9aWgPGrk0?si=ykifSBdrQfym0vTkRh7ofQ
> 
> Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/3BTsv0FthgmDwyKlYShwJF?si=KTgJ-rZnRUaPFSUvQhiKxA
> 
> I hope you enjoy them! Let me know what you think!

Therese went into the bathroom, she was still shaking. She gripped the edge of the sink, hard and looked at herself in the mirror; she couldn’t believe how flushed she looked and how out of breath she was. The effect that the woman had on her was something that had never happened to her before, no one had ever had such effect on her. She splashed some water on her face to wake up and freshen up, then she took out of her purse some makeup to do some touchups here and there. When she was finally satisfied with her look, she took a deep breath and went out the bathroom.

She walked back towards the living room, the first thing she did was look for the blonde but she was nowhere to be found, instead she found Dannie and Gen talking with Abby.

“Hey guys,” she said.

“What took you so long?” Gen asked.

“Nothing, I just got a little lost. I couldn’t find the bathroom,” what she said made her remember what the blonde had whispered in her ear making her blush again, she looked at Dannie briefly and he narrowed his eyes as if he could tell there was something else going on and Therese narrowed her eyes towards him which seemed to be satisfying enough for him so he looked away.

“Hello,” Therese heard from beside her.

“Hi Carol,” Abby replied and Therese’s heart started beating faster and faster, she didn’t want to turn her head to look at the blonde but she just couldn’t resist. “Therese, Dannie this is Carol Aird,” as Abby said this the blonde extended her hand for Dannie to shake and then Therese. When she looked at Therese as they were shaking hands, Therese got lost in those blue gray eyes. Carol have her a mischievous look, that somehow made her look even hotter and a sudden wink that made Therese blush profusely.

“Hi, I’m Therese Belivet” Therese gave her a kind smile while she blushed, she just couldn’t help it; the woman in front of her was like nothing she had ever seen before. Therese felt the blonde lightly and slowly begin to graze the back of her hand with her thumb, this in combination of the way Carol was looking at her made her legs quiver. _Fucking hell_

Carol’s eyes were looking directly into her; it was as if they were telling her something, they were communicating without having to say a word. The connection they immediately had could almost be tangible. Therese wanted to look away but she couldn’t, the blonde’s eyes were so mesmerizing she just couldn’t bring herself to look away even if she was conscious that people were staring she couldn't care less, the woman’s eyes were addicting.

Carol finally let go of her hand managing to snap Therese out of her trance.

Abby cleared her throat and Therese lowered her gaze in knowing embarrassment.

“Dannie, Therese, this is Phil”

“Hi”

“Hello, nice to meet you Therese” Phill extended his hand and Therese shook it briefly.

“Nice to meet you too” Therese gave him a kind smile and then he extended his hand towards Dannie.

“Hey, man” Dannie said casually.

“Hi, dude” Phill answered. _This two are clearly gonna get along._

“Thank you, Abby, c’mon” Dannie took Therese by the arm and pulled her towards the bar.

“Are you okay? You’re all red and,” Dannie said as he poured them two Bailey’s, “what the hell was that over there? You two were looking at each other for so long, you looked like a dear caught in the headlights”

 _Well I sure as hell feel like one_  “What? I’m as cool as a cucumber, I don’t even know what you’re talking about” Therese answered laughing to throw Dannie off, which clearly worked since he stared at her confused for a moment but Therese’s poker face lasted nothing and Dannie instantly gave her a knowing look.

“I am Dannie, I’m fine” _Yeah, fuck off_

“Sure!” Dannie replied clearly not believing what she said.

Therese’s eyes began wondering around the room looking for the blonde, but she was nowhere to be seen, she walked toward the garden doors thinking she might be out there but just as she was pulling the door knob “Guys, c’mon dinner’s ready,” Abby called everyone to the table, “Gen, could you go fetch the others outside?”

“Yes, of course” Gen gave Abby the most mischievous look that Therese had ever seen making her chuckle and roll her eyes at how Gen would be such a flirt every chance she could.

“C’mon Therese, Dannie, come sit down guys” Abby said as she pointed towards a chair, Phill followed doing the same.

When Gen came back Therese was surprised by how many people where actually outside; about fifteen people sat down at the table and in between those was the beautiful blonde who looked at her right in the eye and took the seat right in front of her without taking her eyes of Therese. _Oh jesus fuck! How the fuck am I supposed get through this?_ Therese smiled shyly.

Waiters kept bringing every food course as the stages of dinner went by and the blonde kept her eyes fixed on Therese the only moment she would occasionally look away was when the waiters brought out a new dish. The way Carol ate her food made the brunette squirm in her seat.

“Therese…Therese, hey”

“Dude” Dannie said as he grabbed her arm.

“Oh what? Sorry” Therese looked at Dannie and blushed profusely. The blonde was still looking at her but now with a blink of amusement in her eyes seeing how Therese had made a fool of herself. _Get a grip on yourself Belivet._

“Phil, asked you what do you do for a living” Dannie whispered in her ear in order to not humiliate her even more.

“Oh, I’m a photographer” Therese gave him a kind smile. Her eyes kept going back and forth between the woman in front of her and Phil who was sitting beside Dannie.

“Wait you are, Belivet? The Belivet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you the one that took that picture of the orangutan alone in the river? The one where he’s kind of peaking from behind a tree? In a swamp? Did you take that?” There was clear excitement in Phill’s voice.

“Yes, yes I did,” the conversation was suddenly interrupted by the blonde who began coughing while setting her glass of wine down, “are you okay?” Therese teased knowing the blonde would catch on, noticing how the tables had shifted and to Therese’s amusement the blonde narrowed her eyes slightly at her tease.

“Yes I’m fine, thank you”, The blonde said with a glint of affection in her eyes and by the next second she looked like nothing had happened.

“I really, really love your work; its so raw and meaningful” Phill said beaming.

“Well thank you!” Therese gave him a genuine smile “Thank you Phill, really.”

Therese sat in silence while everyone made small talk and ate dinner, all she could think of was the blonde - she also couldn’t help but wonder what if Carol’s reaction was of surprise to her learning she was the photographer who took the picture? _Has she heard of me before?_

Her thoughts were loud in her head while the world kept spinning. After they kept exchanging glances through the table; sometimes getting caught staring at each other, sometimes not caring if anyone noticed and simply staring at each other. Therese couldn't help but to be fascinated by every move the blonde made, she wanted to be witness to all of them; the way she ate, the way her throat moved up and down every time she swallowed down her long beautiful neck and every single use of her utensils which Therese found to be incredibly elegant and poised. Like nothing she had ever seen before.

After they had dinner, people started chatting and standing up, she looked at Carol and found her immersed in a conversation with another guest that was sitting beside her, so Therese decided to go outside to grab some fresh air and the sight she was met with was fascinating.

— Play: La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong —

 

From the height of the terrace you could see the garden was huge, definitely bigger than the house itself, you couldn't see where it ended, with huge vintage light posts that just gave it a completely different touch. Therese went down beautiful lightened stairs to get to ground level and walked until she reached a beautiful trail in the middle of the garden, that continued in between a lot of trees with little lights hanging from them, giving the place an enchanting warm glow.

Therese looked at the sky to find the stars from in between the trees, that were shining brightly alongside the moon that was at it’s fullest. She began walking down the trail only to discover hidden waterfalls and ponds filled with little ducks and turtles. The combination of the view and the soft music coming from the hidden speakers, that filled her ears, changed the atmosphere entirely making her feel a sense of relief wash over her and all the tension she previously had, left her body instantly, she took a deep breath, smiled and exhaled in relief.

She closed her eyes and her body began swinging slowly from side to side to the beautiful melody that was coming from the speakers.

She then felt the need to look behind her only to find Carol looking intently at a smiling Therese. The blonde responded with a genuine smile.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Please” Therese answered and the blonde stepped closer.

They stared at each other for a moment, Therese looked up at the sky while smiling.

“It’s beautiful isn't it?” Therese could feel Carol’s eyes on her, so she tilted her head back down to look back at Carol.

“It really is,” Therese answered while smiling at Carol.

There was a moment of comfortable silence between them where the both of them just stood there enjoying each other’s presence until Carol finally spoke.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just got curious and wanted to look at the place a little but after a while I just got lost in all this,” she beamed and gestured around at the place.

“Well that explains a lot”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been walking for 20 minutes now,” _What?! Wait.. for how long has she been behind me?_

“What?” It was all Therese could say, giving her state of confusion.

“Yeah, you’ve been walking for twenty minutes”

“So… you’ve been following me for twenty minutes?”

“Well, what can I say darling, you are a sight for sore eyes,” Therese felt a hot sensation go up from her neck to her cheeks and she couldn't help but blush, “you look really cute when you blush,” she blushed ever more and the blonde couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

“I could say the same thing about you,” she managed to reply while looking at the floor. _Good one Therese_. The blonde stepped closer.

“Are you okay Therese?” Therese shivered at the way her name sounded when it came out of Carol’s lips, it was perfect.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“You’re shaking,” the blonde stepped closer and began rubbing her hand again softly up and down Therese’s upper arm.

“Oh am I?”

“Yes you are, are you okay?” she cupped Therese’s side cheek and Therese felt breathless her mouth was now agape, with Carol’s warmth sweetly covering the spot on her cheek, “you're freezing” she spoke but this time is was barely audible. Therese now self conscious about her shaking tried to stop herself from doing so.

Because of the closeness Therese caught a whiff of the woman’s perfume and it made her feel dizzy.

“Mmm your perfume.”

“You like it?”

“Yes, its nice”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind” 

Therese gave her a kind smile and confortable silence followed after that, no one felt the need to speak, they were just two people enjoying the moment. Therese turned to look all around and felt at ease, the sound of the music, of the water flowing, the lights on the trees and the light radiating from the pond - everything was perfect. She looked back at Carol - the blonde was looking at her with her head tiled to the side, her eyes slightly narrowed and a slight smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

“What?” Therese, looked at her intently but she was so nervous now, her voice was barely audible.

“You are otherworldly” Carol answered. _Thank you?_ Carol’s answer baffled Therese.

“What do you mean?” Therese’s voice was still barely audible.

“I can’t really explain it, there’s something very singular about you that makes you different from everyone, almost unreal” Carol exhaled.

“In a good way?” Therese asked anguished.

“In a perfect way” the way Carol was still looking at Therese, with such wonder it made her feel even happier.

“Well… thank you” she replied while blushing and slightly laughing nervously, this made her lose the grip on her shaking and Carol immediately noticed.

“C’mon you’re still shaking, we should get back”

“Its fine, don't worry this sweater is warm, I didn't think the temperature was gonna drop this much, I shouldn’t have worn this skirt - but I’m okay” Therese sneezed.

“You’re fine? You're already sneezing, c’mon” Carol began taking off her blazer and tried to place it on Therese’s shoulders.

“No, don’t, I don’t want you to get a cold - I’m okay, really” Therese sneezed again and shivered which instinctively made her hug herself after. Carol got closer and wrapped the blazer around the brunette’s shoulders leaving one arm around her, to give her body warmth. Therese kept shaking but for a completely different reason.

“Jesus Therese, you're shaking so much”, Carol rubbed Therese’s upper arm in an effort to warm her up and they began walking back to the house - Therese felt hotter and happier.

“What are you smiling about?” Carol asked amused as they walked back to the house.

“Nothing”, she couldn't help but blush and laugh nervously. After all this, she was definitely happy with her choice of wardrobe.

“By the way darling, that skirt… great choice, believe me” Carol was grinning wickedly and garnished it with a wink that made the brunette feel even hotter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! The genre of the songs will change a lot btw and I might include some modern songs that I hope you like :) Also, thank you so much gznfg43 for your words of encouragement they made a huge difference. Have a good day guys! Look forward to our interactions in the comments <3


End file.
